Despite clinging to the southernmost tip of the continent, some eight thousand kilometres from the shores of the Mediterranean, South Africa’s Western Cape could at times be mistaken for southern Europe, with seaside mansions on mountainsides and smart street cafés serving chilled wines to beautiful people.

However, even in the sophisticated city of Cape Town, you can see all sides of modern Africa if you choose to look. This means embracing the contrast between rich and poor, immaculate houses and cardboard shacks. In South Africa you cannot avoid this juxtaposition, although in the Western Cape you can determine the depth of your exposure.

The nation’s star attraction, the Western Cape contains more top sights than any other province: Table Mountain, the Constantia wine estates, Robben Island, the Garden Route, the West Coast’s spring flowers, the southern tip of Africa and plenty of beaches and mountains. It also has copious activities on offer, ranging from whale watching and shark diving to hiking and gliding. With more than its fair share of scenic beauty, historic architecture, stylish accommodation and world-class restaurants, visitors are never left wanting. Culturally, the upsurge in arts and crafts means that there are many enriching encounters awaiting.

The province has everything going for it and can satisfy everyone, even if they are well travelled or incredibly discerning. It is especially great for those who are hungry for real experiences. Here we delve into the Western Cape’s six geographical areas, all of which are distinctly and delightfully different. Enjoy.

Cape Town and the South Peninsula
Cape Town is the gateway to the Western Cape and gives the rest of the province something to live up to. Homecomers have been known to clap or even cry as they see their beloved Table Mountain from the plane window when the pilot skirts the peninsula. If you’re lucky enough to receive this aerial introduction, you’ll see Cape Town at the head of a long thin finger of mountainous land that rises between the cold Atlantic on the west and the warm waters of False Bay on the east. At its pointy, crooked end is the dramatic Cape Point.

Cape Town is renowned for being laid back, so visitors have no choice but to get used to its measured slowness and unhurried service. Perhaps it’s the practically perpetual sunshine that makes Capetonians so relaxed, or the subtle swish of the ocean and inaudible hum of the hills. But this doesn’t necessarily mean they are lazy, as the number of hikers, joggers, cyclists, surfers and horse riders attests. Capetonians have developed the ability to switch from inaction to top speed without losing their cool.

Oh yes, they are cool all right – possibly some of the most chilled out in the whole of South Africa. Johannesburg residents find them far too laid-back for their liking, adding that the reason Cape Town is called the ‘Mother City’ is because everything takes nine months to happen.

Some say Table Mountain is the mother figure of Cape Town. It’s also been likened to a sleeping goddess, the stairway to heaven and a warrior and watcher of the south. Because its sandstone and granite core contains large amounts of quartz, the mystics may say it is in effect a giant crystal. To absorb some of its positive energy, hike to the top using one of over a hundred different routes, or hop in the rotating cable car and get there in only four minutes. From the flat-topped vantage point a kilometre above sea level, look north along the Cape West Coast, south to the mountains tapering down to Cape Point, east over the township sand flats to the foothills of the Cape Winelands, and west to a watery horizon that engulfs the nightly sunset and lights up Robben Island.

A boat trip to Robben Island, Nelson Mandela’s prison for 18 years, is one of Cape Town’s most popular excursions. The island tour however, suffers from a lack of imagination and misappropriated funds, but does serve as a humbling experience and gives the best opportunities for photos of Table Mountain. An alternative with a lot going for it, and the ability to really put life into perspective, is a township tour. Although separated by a 15-minute drive, the grand hotels of Cape Town and the informal settlements of Jo Slovo, Nyanga and Khayelitsha seem worlds apart. But the spirit of ubuntu (an Bantu word that encompasses the philosophy of morality, humanity, communal responsibility and solidarity) is strong, and the feeling of being a voyeur is soon replaced by heart-warming camaraderie. A lesson to be learned in the township is that dignity survives poverty, and rich can rub shoulders with poor in an atmosphere of mutual respect and shared curiosity.

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A question that most inquisitive visitors want answered when visiting Cape Town is whether the Atlantic and Indian oceans actually meet at Cape Point. While it is not uncommon to see a distinct colour line in the water when looking out to sea, giving rise to the impression of a meeting of oceans, the answer is definitely ‘no’. This line is actually the meeting of the Agulhas and Benguela currents, which flow down South Africa’s east coast and up from Antarctica respectively. The confusion arises as many people make the invalid assumption that oceans and currents are synonymous. Other visitors come with the belief that the Cape of Good Hope, which juts inconsequentially out from Cape Point, is the southernmost tip of the continent. Truth be known, both of the geographical honours mentioned above go to Cape Agulhas, which is found a couple of hours’ drive southeast of Cape Town.

However, the relationship between the currents does have a significant affect on the ocean’s temperatures around Cape Town. The Benguela’s frigid waters embrace the west arm of the Cape Peninsula, while the warm Agulhas current fills False Bay to the east. The most popular Atlantic beaches are Clifton’s four sandy coves and Camps Bay, less than ten minutes’ drive from the city. The beautiful swathes of pale sand are full of sun worshippers, yet there is hardly anyone in the water. Put a toe in the ocean and you’ll find out why – it’s freezing. Most people concentrate on getting a good tan and strut around looking beautiful. A good place to people-watch is at one of the street cafés that spill onto Camps Bay’s palm-lined boulevard, where the fashionable set hang out.

There is no such attempt at flirting with fashion on Cape Town’s South Peninsula. Here, the drum beats to a slower rhythm and surfers take chilling out to its ultimate. Surf breaks for the experienced are found at the Dunes in Noordhoek, the Crayfish Factory near Scarborough and Kommetjie Long Beach. Novices should stick to Muizenberg corner, where a couple of lessons will have you standing on a long board and riding the slow-fading breaks like a pro.

It’s wise to choose a swimming beach according to the weather. A howling southeaster can make sunbathing a misery on an exposed False Bay beach, but the water is likely to be warmer and the swimming safer. Fish Hoek beach is one of the most popular for safe swimming – there are a few Hobie Cats for hire there too. The small coves at Boulders beach near Simon’s Town have the added attraction of a colony of African penguins. These cute critters waddle clumsily past while you sunbathe, but turn into missiles in the water, leaving you bobbing on the surface like bathtub toy. You’ll get a better view of the breeding colony from the boardwalk.

Part of embracing life in the Cape is learning to decipher some of the languages. Eavesdropping in the laid-back south may make little sense without a good translator. “Howzit, broer?” (how are you my brother/friend?) could be answered with “Kief, man” (fine thank you). If you go it alone and really insult some oke (guy) who threatens to donner (smack) you, then I’d take to your takkies (trainers), jump into your bakkie (pick-up truck) and get the hell out of there. Or you could finish that last dop (drink), bliksem (thump) the atypical troublemaker and carry on with your pluck (doing your own thing).

It’s not only the South Peninsula where you may having trouble in understanding the locals – the centre of Cape Town is awash with languages and accents. You’ll notice the clicking sounds of Xhosa – the largest African tribe in the area – and Afrikaans, as spoken by Afrikaners of Dutch origin and the local mixed race population. You may also hear French from Congolese immigrants and Portuguese from Mozambicans and Angolans. And of course all the European languages from tourists who came, bought a house, and stayed.

One of the best places to encounter the uniqueness of Cape Town life is in Greenmarket Square. Trading wagons have crossed its cobblestones for hundreds of years and stallholders shout their wares with heavy African accents, or spirit you to their stands with wide smiles and colourful curios. This is as good a place as any to buy wooden masks, stone sculptures and batik wall hangings – just don’t forget to barter. If you really want that 6ft wooden giraffe, buy it, but don’t wrap it up, just hang a fragile sticker from its ear and it should get home intact.

Another place to whip up a shopping frenzy is the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront. This satisfaction-guaranteed venue offers sophisticated harbourside eating and drinking, shopping, boat rides, open-air theatres, amusements and staged events. This all happens around a working harbour where tugboats, pleasure craft and racing yachts moor side by side.

Another popular family-friendly venue is Kirstenbosch National Botanic Gardens. A walk around this floral stage on the slopes of Table Mountain could do more than just fill your heart with the joy of botany. Useful tips on medicinal plants are revealed on the Fragrance Trail, which encourages you to compare textures and sniff a variety of not always sweet smells.  The remedy you have always been looking for could be right under your nose.

The Dutch started planting as soon as they claimed this land in 1652, and growing vines was a priority. After 35 years the wine was still, “exceptionally harsh,” so Governor van der Stel set out to improve it. He was granted a farm named Constantia, from which he produced red and white wine attributed with “strength and deliciousness.” The highly alcoholic, sweet Constantia wines became favoured in the courts of Europe during the 18th and 19th centuries. One bottle of 1791 Groot Constantia white lay forgotten in the Duke of Northumberland’s cellar in England’s Alnwick Castle for almost two hundred years. It was discovered in 1979 and brought to South Africa for a ceremonial tasting. Its deep amber colour and sweet fruity flavour scored an incredible 18.7 points out of 20, during a formal tasting by a specially invited panel of wine experts.

You too can taste theses famed wines at all six Constantia estates, but go armed with the John Platter South African Wine Guide and see if you agree with what he says. If you can relate to descriptions like, a ‘cherry-choc nose’, ‘whiff of cigarbox’ and a ‘plummy fruit foundation’, you should be fine. Remember that you don’t have to journey to Stellenbosch or Franschhoek in the Cape Winelands when the grapes start calling – some of the oldest and finest vineyards in the country are right at Cape Town’s door in Constantia, less than 20 minutes away by car.

The Overberg
Leave the sand flats of Cape Town and enter another world in the east, where the land becomes lush and rolling, and follow the main road through its unwavering route into the fertile farmlands. The highway ignores the distant coastline, which culminates in the southernmost point of Africa, Cape Agulhas. A detour to this landmark, where the Atlantic and Indian oceans meet, is worth the been-there-done-that value. Nearby Arniston is one of the quaintest old fishing villages along this coast, where the historic fishing community of Kassiesbaai is still occupied by its rightful owners, and has been preserved intact as a national monument. If it is ‘authentic’ you want, then a walking tour through this village meets the brief.

Make Hermanus the first stop after leaving Cape Town, especially from July through October when whales abound offshore. Southern right whales, 15-18m long, travel all the way from Antarctica to mate and calve in this bay. So focused on what they are doing, the whales drift very close to shore. Sightings aren’t guaranteed, but in the words of UK whale and dolphin expert Mark Carwardine, “this is the best land-based whale watching in the world.” Considered equally as good for whale sightings (as well as the chance of seeing seals and dolphins) is De Hoop Nature Reserve, three hours’ drive east of Cape Town. Their accommodation is great value, though it is very popular in whale season.

A little further along the coast is one of the world’s most adrenaline-filled marine experiences: shark cage diving at Gansbaii. Even Craig Bovim, who survived a great white attack while diving for crayfish near Cape Point, faced his worst fear and took part. He admitted, “It’s a real rush to be with these huge, gorgeous animals,” although he wonders whether chumming – the process of pouring a fish slurry into the water to attract sharks – is a questionable practice. Operators say that fishermen have been chumming for years without controversy, while scientists state that the sharks are migrating through these waters – not residents – so it is not the same great whites that are encountered day in and day out. This means they don’t have time to develop a Pavlovian response to chumming. Some locals, who are more swayed by the reports of increased shark attack frequency than by sheer science, believe that this adrenaline activity is making their waters less safe. However, other factors such shrinking seal populations, due to the destruction of their habitat by commercial fisherman, may actually be to blame. The key is to choose an operator who not only respects the magnificent creatures, but also educates and informs its clients while working to protect the species and their environment.

The next rush of similar intensity is the Gouritz bungee jump and bridge swing, just west of Mossel Bay. Even though this jump, 65m above ground, is far smaller than the 215m-leap from the Bloukrans Bridge on the Garden Route, it is more frightening because you get an instant ground rush.

A more sedate activity, which suits those who don’t like their adrenaline in one massive hypodermic shot, is taking a tandem motor glider over Swellendam. As the motor cuts out, the sense that one might drop out of the sky is replaced with a feeling of utter serenity. The thermal lift from the Langeberg Mountains adds height over the berry orchards and dairy pastures of the Hermitage Valley. A subsequent drive into this hidden valley for a youngberry liqueur tasting is one of the simple delights of Swellendam. Another speciality around here are the wild porcini (cep) mushrooms, picked at dawn by a local farmer in the nearby pine forests, and sold to Swellendam restaurants. It’s worth staying in Swellendam for a meal of tender beef medallions covered in sauce from these tasty treats. You won’t easily find this delicacy outside the borders of this town.

The Garden Route
The verdant coastal belt that is the Garden Route has the gentle Indian Ocean lapping on one side and a purple folded mountain range on the other. Its official start is Mossel Bay, a welcoming coastal town with the motto ‘No hurries. No worries’. Relax on its beaches, enjoy the genuine coastal town scene or gaze at the Outeniqua Mountains in the distance – better yet, board the Outeniqua Choo Tjoe steam train for an unforgettable return trip to George. Head further east and catch sight of the endless beach at Wilderness. There you’ll find a string of lakes running parallel to the sea that are perfect for kayaking, and inhabited by mermaids (if bushman paintings are to be believed). If you drive through town towards Sedgefield on a Saturday morning, visit the Wild Oats Farmers’ Market. It has the reputation of being the best in the country.

The next town is Knysna, which tempts just about every visitor to the Garden Route to stop and stay. Yes, it is that desirable. Life revolves around the huge gentle lagoon, whose warm shallow waters lure people to hire boats, take cruises and swim (find the little beach on Leisure Isle at high tide). Others simply indulge in its acclaimed oysters or sit back and admire it (the view from the top of the cliff at The Heads is well worth the drive). The town’s colonial upbringing lends it an air of tradition and conventionality suited to the large retired population.

But purple rinse doesn’t get a look in at the May Mardi Gras, when it’s decidedly pretty in pink. The town is invaded by gays, bi-sexuals, lesbians and transgenders, collectively known here as GBLT. They strut their stuff along the main street and indulge in four days of pink cocktails, outrageous cross-dressing and festive clubbing.

Acceptance of the unorthodox could be attributed to George Rex, who arrived in 1804 with a retinue of horse-drawn coaches containing his common law wife and her four children, plus attendants and friends. George Rex’s regal name, royal bearing and lavish entertaining, initiated one of the most enduring rumours in South African history – that he was the illegitimate son of King George III. He was certainly treated as an aristocrat, and his presence made it very fashionable to settle in Knysna.

Plettenberg Bay, half an hour’s drive over the hill, seems recently to have grown in popularity – probably because it’s simply gorgeous. The finely-ground white sand and tepid Indian Ocean water are very enticing. So is the prospect of close encounters with whales and dolphins. Boats depart from Central Beach for marine tours that leave you topped up and feeling good. Finish the day with a Mai Thai cocktail and pint of prawns at the Lookout Bar and the smile won’t fade for days.

It won’t be the effects of the potent cocktail that make you hear strange noises in the forest at The Crags, it will be the extraordinary wildlife attractions that have found this jungle to their liking. Monkeyland started the ball rolling by rescuing primates of all descriptions and letting them loose in a massive area of natural forest. Encounter a variety of these furry friends at feeding stations, along paths on a guided tour and at the café, where a monkey chaser tries to stop them stealing your sandwich. Monkeyland then started Birds of Eden right next door, where ex-pets and rescued birds can for the first time fly freely in the world’s largest free-flight aviary. There are hundreds of parrots, cockatoos, lovebirds, touracos and other feathered varieties flitting around two hectares of forest covered by a 34m-high mesh. Then pachyderms enter the picture at an adjacent elephant sanctuary. Their trunk-in-hand walks and elephant rides are conducted with integrity, all the while honouring this great animal.

Cape Winelands
Summer sees the vines of the Cape Winelands hanging heavy with fruit, ready for hand-picking and frenetic wine making between January and March. By May, the vines have turned autumn shades of burnished russet.

Wine is a big business here and sustains around 600 wine estates in 21 regions and wards. An indulgence that goes hand in hand with wine is of course food. Franschhoek must have more award-winning chefs and gourmet restaurants than any other town in the country. There are also speciality cheeses, olive oils, local smoked trout, country jams and relishes, and hand-made chocolates in this charming French corner of the Winelands.

Selecting a wine that goes with chocolate is an art, but South Africa’s only home-grown varietal, Pinotage, does the trick. This cross-pollination of Pinot Noir and Cinsaut (Hermitage) is versatile enough to cope with chocolate or spicy curries. Food and wine pairing specialist Katinka van Niekerk, describes Pinotage as “slutty,” because it will go with anything. As for sauvignon blanc, she says it’s “constantly on the edge of a nervous breakdown.” She dismisses colour co-ordination of reds with meat and whites with fish as hopelessly outdated. Break bread and a few rules with fellow hedonists at one of van Niekerk’s informative and fun food and wine pairing lunches or dinners.

On a more adhoc basis, just turn up and taste the full range of wines at about 300 wine estates, often for free. But take heed, the more you drink the better it tastes, so don’t buy anything after a long day in the tasting rooms. Many wine farms have expanded their offering from just tasting and a cellar tour, to other activities appealing to a wider audience: there’s an antique carriage ride at Blaauwklippen, ‘Le Pique-Nique’ on the lawn at Boschendal, cheetah petting at Spier, horseriding between the Franschhoek wine estates, a vineyard tractor ride at Diemersfontein, Sunday lunch lamb spit braai (barbecue) at Backsberg and sabrage at Cabrière. The latter involves lopping the top off a bottle of bubbly with an ancient sabre. This has a cult following, not for the act itself but for the actor, Cabrière proprietor, cellar master, and lady-charmer: Archim von Arnim. He has been described as a “portable party” and this celebration of wine starts with a tour of the estate at 11am every Saturday.

The annual grape harvest is cause for more festivities, including barefoot grape stomping, where you get to squash juicy merlot or cabinet sauvignon between ticklish toes. The feeling is quite delicious and a close embrace in a small barrel can be very seductive. Book in advance at Dellrust, Stellenrust, Môreson or Grande Provence estates, or just arrive at Paarl Wine Route’s Round the Rock event in early March, when local wineries get you stomping and tasting the fermenting wine straight from the vats. 

Paarl has its fair share of well-known estates, such as Nederberg (internationally known for its annual wine auction), Fairview (for goat’s cheese tastings and spoof wine label ‘goats do roam’), and KWV (exporters of South African wines and spirits to 35 global markets). But it is neighbouring Stellenbosch that is the historic heart of the Cape Winelands. Established as the second town in South Africa in 1679, it is understandably full of National Monument buildings. A walk down Dorp Street is a stroll though 350 years of architectural history with every other building displaying a brass plaque acknowledging its historic status. Many Cape Dutch manor houses can be dated from their ornate whitewashed gables, and the maxim, “the curlier the earlier,” referring to the ornateness of the gable, relates well to Blaauwklippen, Neethlingshof and Lanzerac estates, but cannot always be relied upon.

Fraai Uitzicht 1798, in Robertson, leaves you in no doubt of its origins. Considered one of the best wine estate restaurants, it helps entice visitors out of the well-frequented Stellenbosch, Paarl and Franschhoek regions and through the mountains to the Breede River valley. They don’t just grow great wine in Robertson and Worcester, these sun-baked hills are becoming famous for olive oil. The conditions are so perfect that even novice olive growers Gina and Fernand Van Wassenhove, recent émigrés from Holland, won silver place in the ‘Delicate Oil’ category of the SA Olive Awards. They entered their first vintage just for fun and nobody was more amazed to receive an award than they were.

The Olive Garden’s cottages are tucked into a valley of olives and wine, just one of many accommodation options in the foothills of the Langeberg Mountains. Pat Busch Private Nature Reserve is another, with a host of mountain bike trails and hiking routes leading to the top of manageable peaks via mountain streams, wooded kloofs (valleys) and a dam for fishing and swimming. Jonkershoek Nature Reserve, 9km from Stellenbosch is another place whose rugged terrain is perfect for hiking, as is the Limietberg Nature Reserve, near Wellington. But if you prefer your hike to have porters and to be catered, then try multiple-day guided hikes through vineyards, orchards and olive groves, stopping along the way for tastings and learning about the Cape Floral Kingdom.

If time is short, then an early morning hour is well spent in a hot air balloon, getting an overall picture of the Winelands. This combines slow travel with instant gratification, and all before breakfast, which incidentally is at Africa’s only Relais Gourmand hotel restaurant, Grande Roche in Paarl. Another slow but satisfying pursuit with mountain and vineyard views is golfing. The weekend golfer should consider Paarl’s Boschenmeer Golf Course, low handicap amateurs might like Pearl Valley Golf Estate, while pro’s will want nothing less than the Gary Player-designed Erinvale Golf Course, former host to the World Cup of Golf.

For those wanting a taste of the grapes without the journey from Cape Town, don’t forget the excellent and historic vineyards of Constantia.

The Karoo
Two mountain ranges running vaguely parallel to the Western Cape’s south coast separate the Karoo from the Garden Route. If you go over the first range you find yourself in the Klein (Little) Karoo, which means it isn’t quite as arid as it would be if you went over the next range and into the Great Karoo.

The amount of heat and uninhabited land increase the further into the Karoo you go. Eventually this results in distant heat-hazed horizons, sometimes flat and dotted with ostriches, at other points peaked by cone-shaped hills.

‘Africa Time’ in the Karoo is considerably slower than even in Cape Town, and nothing moves very fast in the small towns, where rushing is anathema. It may require a shift of mindset, so think of this acronym when stress levels rise: RUSH (Relax Until Something Happens). This is the attitude with which to set off on a road trip along Route 62 into the Klein Karoo. The few signed roads heading right or left off this empty highway, hold the promise of dramatic mountain passes: north into the Great Karoo, or south to the Garden Route and Indian Ocean coast.

Klein Karoo
First you have to hurdle the mountain range that forms the barrier between Cape Town and the rest of Africa. Or do you? Pay the toll man and drive through the 3.9km Huguenot Tunnel, which was carved through sheer mountain rock. Emerge into bright sunlight glaring off burnt orange sandstone mountains, whose erosion-resistant, twisted sedimentary strata are spectacularly exposed to resemble huge Atlantic breakers. Stop and admire this geological phenomenon by the old English Boer War fort, perched on an arch of rock spanning the road into Montagu.

Montagu has long been known to revive travellers with therapeutic immersion in its natural hot springs. The commercialised hot springwater pools are accessed through the Avalon Springs Hotel, but avoid Friday afternoons and school holidays when it’s rather chaotic. More pleasant are the cottages at neighbouring Little Sanctuary, where a dip in their hot springs cement dam is a more private affair. Admire the fruit orchards below, or tread the crunchy peach pip path to Eagle’s Rest lookout and sip a local sweet Muscadel. There’s always the chance to dunk in more hot spring water along the R62 at Warmwaterberg and Calitzdorp.

The port-producing town of Calitzdorp is a blink-and-you-miss-it kind of place. Yet explore a couple of back streets and its historic charm unfolds. Queen Street is the greatest surprise, with pristine English Regency, Georgian, Victorian and Edwardian architecture. Few properties have been overly gentrified by inkommers (incomers), as Calitzdorp is too far from Cape Town to be a weekend retreat. It has however, attracted some cultured residents and Noel-Jëan Kriel, organ player and priest without a parish, is one. This humpty dumpty character moved here after he fell in love with the organ in the Dutch Reformed Church, and he plays to any visitors who express an interest. And what a treat it is. With a hop and skip around the pews, Kriel sits in front of his console and works his little hands and feet into a frenzy as he plays a fugue by Bach or Handel’s Messiah. Recitals last 40-60 minutes on weekdays (except Wednesday) at 6pm and other days obligingly on request.

The Klein Karoo National Arts Festival, in nearby Oudtshoorn every Easter, is another artistic treat. But the popularity of this event means accommodation is booked out months in advance. Oudtshoorn is more famous for being the ostrich capital of the world and is full of ornate mansions dubbed ‘feather palaces’ due to their construction during the ostrich feather heyday. Nowadays, it’s the soft, strong leather that fetches high prices. When offered an ostrich ride at a show farm, think twice, for this doe-eyed, rather dim, flightless bird only has thin ankles and doesn’t need your weight on top. Anyway, it is the most ungainly thing you could ever do.

Instead, opt for a much more meaningful animal encounter with wild meerkats. You might have seen these creatures on recent TV documentaries, as researcher Grant McIlrath who runs Meerkat Magic guided tours, has entertained crews from BBC, National Geographic and Discovery Channel. It is worth the early wake up call.

Great Karoo
Oudtshoorn is the gateway town from the Klein Karoo into the Great Karoo if coming via the Garden Route. There is no more fitting way to enter the Great Karoo than via the Swartberg Pass. The view from the top is astounding. And when you see the gravel road hurtling down the other side of the mountains, performing a series of sudden switchbacks, it is another sight to behold. The reward for not losing your nerve is staying overnight in Prince Albert at the base of the pass. This town has been ‘found’, with every historic house restored to its former glory, though there are just enough locals to retain a small rural town character.

Prince Albert is best explored on a rented bicycle. Trundle along untarred side roads where ancient leiwater channels direct mountain streams to farms and small holdings. Peddling down the main street can take five minutes, or a couple of hours if you stop at Prince Albert Country Store when they’re serving their lunchtime buffet. Foodies will want to linger longer in Prince Albert, combining culture and cuisine in the newly built African Relish kitchens – they host courses led by master chefs.

From here, the vast Karoo lies in every direction and, in the middle of nowhere in particular, lies a place that exists in a time warp of its own making. Matjiesfontein is a privately owned town that was once a Victorian health resort (the warm dry air is said to cure lung diseases) before becoming a British Boer War camp. It now seems to be waiting quietly for its next zenith. When that time comes, the rich and famous will again surely gather in the haunted hotel, take tea in the gardens and bathe in the enormous blue swimming pool. In the meantime, Matjiesfontein is open for business. It has a variety of accommodation that will give you a sense of becoming an extra in a period drama.

West Coast
The Cape West Coast has a rugged charm, with miles of empty white beaches and shores pounded by a chilly Atlantic Ocean. There is a lack of fresh water so it can seem barren and inhospitable, but when thousands of flowers burst out of the dusty earth after the first spring rains, the impression is one of abundance. Inland, the irrigated rolling farmlands grow wheat and citrus fruits, but only hardy indigenous vegetation and animals survive in the arid wild-west sandstone mountains of the Cederberg. 

How the San (or Bushmen) survived in the Cederberg is difficult to comprehend. They left a legacy of information in rock art that adorns over 2500 known sites in the wind-sculpted caves and overhangs of these orange rocks. Many are easily accessible. Compare this to 280 comparable rock art sites in France and Spain combined, and the area’s archaeological richness becomes clear.

The San do not roam the land anymore; they were mercilessly persecuted by colonisers, until few communities remained. However, their heritage is celebrated at !Khwa ttu, a large nature reserve, gallery, shop, eatery and education centre. It honours the hunter-gatherer way of life that dates back more than 40,000 years and presents a heart-warming cultural tour. You’ll learn ancient skills from San guides, like how to catch an ostrich, shoot an arrow and make fire. You also get a language lesson and can try to unravel the complex mix of clicks and tones that make up San dialect. This is quite impossible, mind you, but the oral storytelling tradition is always augmented by hilarious enactments. If you want to mix in a little luxury with your rock art, look into Bushman’s Kloof, a Relais & Chateaux property in the heart of the region.

Further back in time and evolution, a woman nicknamed Eve walked down a wet dune near the sun-kissed Langebaan lagoon. Her footprints became preserved in the damp sand, which set like concrete. Some 117,000 years later a geologist wandering the very same stretch of lagoon noticed how a chuck of striated sandstone had separated from an outcrop. He dared not believe his eyes when he saw preserved human footprints. To worldwide acclaim and publicity, Eve was pronounced to be the closest relative to modern man/woman ever found. 

Eve lived in what is now West Coast National Park and a cast of her footprints is in the information centre. She would have shared the land with giant baboon, sabre-tooth cat, Atlantic elephant and quagga, all of which are now extinct. There are, nevertheless, still animals here and it is possible to hike and drive through areas inhabited by ostrich, eland, bontebok and the highly endangered geometric tortoise – heed signs to drive slowly to avoid hastening their demise. Pack for a long slow day of sunbathing and swimming in the warm shallow lagoon, or even better, book well in advance to stay on a houseboat at Kraalbaai. The spring flower phenomenon in September and October finds the park at its busiest, when people flock to see the Postberg Peninsula blanketed by a riot of colour from thousands of sun-worshipping flowerheads.

Fresh seafood is a West Coast speciality. Tuck into crayfish (west coast rock lobster), fresh fish caught on hand lines, delicately-flavoured oysters and large mussels cultivated in Saldanha bay. Die Strandloper restaurant near Langebaan has taken devouring of seafood to new heights, with ten types of fish and shellfish cooked and eaten on the beach under haphazard awnings, accompanied by their excellent fire-baked pot bread. Their menu includes the local delicacy, bokkoms, which must be said are an acquired taste. They are dried, salted mullet with a texture and smell like old boots that have been occupied by a fisherman’s feet for many months. The locals of Velddrif, where the fish are caught, admit that it helps to be born within the smell of drying bokkoms to truly appreciate them. They say it’s best to commence initiation with a slice of thickly buttered bread topped with shaved slivers of bokkom – this should be washed down with beer.

Paternoster is another traditional West Coast fishing village, known for crayfish, and is one of the most picturesque in South Africa. People bring canvas and paints to capture its centuries old, whitewashed cottages. Others come to admire the spring floral displays, walk the shoreline or visit Cape Columbine Nature Reserve and its shipwreck shoreline. Rumour has it that all the barrels of red wine washed up from the 1910 wrecking of SS Lisboa were quickly buried by locals and only retrieved after exasperated custom officials had finally gone away.

Inland routes
The inland routes of the West Coast hold as many attractions as the coast. The Riebeek Valley has beefy red wines and produces port much admired in Europe. Olives too have a firm footing here, with an olive festival every May. Tulbagh is known for sparkling, lightish white wines and for its row of historic houses in Church Street, which had to be completely restored after an earthquake in 1969. Soft fruits from Ceres and oranges and lemons in Citrusdal thrive in the hot dry interior and bags of ripe, freshly picked fruits are sold for a pittance along the roadside. The Cederberg foothills around here are the only areas of the world where the fine, needle-like leaves of Rooibos (Red Bush) tea grow. Rich in anti-oxidants, Rooibos is now sold all over the world as a healthy, caffeine-free alternative to normal tea.

As for entertainment, nothing can compete with the small town of Darling, where the street sign saying “Hello Darling” gives an inkling of what’s to come. Here, two of South Africa’s most famous personalities perform in their very own kitsch theatre called Evita se Perron. The first character is satirist Pieter Dirk Uys, but when he’s all dolled up in drag, he transforms into the outspoken, middle-aged blonde, Evita Bezuidenhout. Shows include a satire on racism called Dekaffirnated, an Aids exposé titled For Facts Sake, and a monologue Tannie Evita Praat Kaktus (Auntie Evita talks kak). Photographs of Evita with the world’s rich and famous adorn the walls, with Nelson Mandela her most loyal fan.